The 2000 vintage presented growers in Burgundy with a bit of a
challenge. The growing season began a bit early and warm, but July was
somewhat wet which caused a bit of mildew and rot in the vineyards. August
turned warm, helping "cure" July's maladies. The start of
September was cool, stalling the harvest a tad. But then it warmed up to
push the fruit along, only to see some rain near mid-September.Vintners needed, as usual, to sort through the fruit to ensure good
quality. Some people claim their 2000s rival the wines of the fine 1999
vintage. We found some good wines in this line-up, but felt the quality
and intensity level was not quite as strong as the same producer's offerings
from the previous vintage.

Two wines ran away with the tasting and two wines lagged
behind the pack. As often happens with Pinot Noir wines, many tasters had
a difference of opinion regarding the ranking of the wines. My second
place wine finished in seventh place! Bob's first place wine was the
group's sixth ranked! Ellen's favorite finished fourth.

A TASTING OF 2000 NUITS-SAINT-GEORGESNotes by Bob Gorman
With Gerald Weisl adding His Two-Cents' Worth

8TH PLACE: PATRICE RION 2000 NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES
"Vieilles Vignes"
One taster liked the way that "acid and fruit played off against each other
nicely." But others found it, by turns, "astringent with distracting
tannins," "a bitter little wine," "tart, shrill, almost
mean," "cherry
candy." One critic unloaded this bit of vitriol: "acid-adjusted
Kool-Aid!"
Bob found nice dark-toned cherry Pinot with a sulfur, stony terroir that
intensifies in the glass. But there are very tart plum-cherries on entry.
The fruit is either very closed in or lacks suitable concentration (probably the
latter).
Gerald encountered "aromas reminiscent of pencil lead and dark cocoa in
this wine, along with a hint of some vegetal undertones. It's not a
particularly deep or exciting wine. Perhaps worthy of a one-half star
rating on my three star scale, no stars being simple, ordinary wines."

7TH PLACE: ALAIN HUDELOT-NOELLAT 2000 NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES "1er Cru Les
Murgers"
There's a saying in Burgundy that really good red Burgundy should taste somewhat
of "merde" (shit)! One of our tasters found "rhubarb and
merde" here. Someone else found "meat and herbs" while another
found "tar and earth." A critic disliked the wine: "hot and
empty."
Bob found a lot to like about the wine. "Such fragrant Pinot! Very Nuits
in character. There's oak, spice, terroir all beautifully integrated and
cherries virtually picked off the tree! Delicious cherry Pinot with depth,
concentration but less than ideal acid might deter its development into
something great.
Gerald's notes are very positive: "Lovely spice notes with hints of an
earthy fragrance along with good cherry and berry fruit...a hint of an herbal
tone, too. The same features are displayed on the palate. The wine
is moderately tannic, so a few years of cellaring are probably warranted.
Very fine! One-and-a-half to two stars."

6TH PLACE: ROBERT ARNOUX 2000 NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES
"1er Cru Clos des Corves Pagets"
Tasters had trouble saying anything positive. "Not much fruit and
hot." "Acetone on the nose and something off-putting on the
palate." One taster detected "banana essence and chocolate covered
cherries." "A soft wine with lots of cherry/berry character."
It was Bob's favorite: "dark-toned, ripe; oak and spice seem to prevail at
first but there's plenty of ripe Nuits Pinot fruit in there! Such delicious
cherry Pinot fruit on the palate! A baby, this wine has the stuff and the
balance to keep it developing for years!
Gerald had trouble finding much character here.
It's got a light cherry fruit but is very simple and shallow...perhaps it's
closed? There's a faintly floral note on the nose, too. Very
superficial on the palate...more like Ctes de Nuits than
Nuits-St.-Georges."

5TH PLACE: MICHEL NOELLAT ET FILS 2000 NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES "1er Cru Les
Boudots"
"I find smoke and herbs on the nose and an intense, vibrant and complex
wine on the palate." said one taster. Another liked its
"bright raspberry" character. Someone else enjoyed all the spice on
the nose (clove, licorice, cinnamon) but the wine had a strange
mouth-feel." Less enthusiastic tasters found it, by turns "soft and
flabby" and "mildew on the nose."
Bob found rather shrill, sharp-smelling Pinot fruit with oak, praline, cola and
a spirity note from alcohol, a bit dull. There are nice cherries, spices, on the
palate. It's an easy, very tasty wine but not deep. It seems not up to 1er cru
status with structure wanting."
Gerald encountered "a sweet fruit note with cherry overtones here.
The wine is mildly cherryish on the palate, too. Good fruit.
It's simply the victim of a light vintage. Nice wine, though. One
star."

4TH PLACE: MEO-CAMUZET 2000 NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES
"1er Cru Aux Murgers""Interesting spice, clove especially, and smoke, there's lots of oak
but plenty of fruit in the background." said one panel member.
Another remarked that "sulfur blew off to reveal notes of brown sugar and
raspberry." Others were less enthusiastic. "Musty, leathery on the
nose and jagged on the palate." "There were Cabernet-like notes, a hot
and daunting wine." It was also found to be "seductive on the nose but
weak on the palate."
Bob found "gorgeous, ripe Pinot cherries but it has a "cherry
gumdrop" edge and it fades a bit in the glass. Such a nice mouthful of
Burgundy! But Nuits character eludes it. It has nice length, excellent
concentration but that gumdrop thing persists."
Gerald found
Lovely Pinot fruit and really, bright, sweet, ripe, pure Pinot here...nice oak,
too. Lots of cherry notes on the palate, with a good bit of tannin that's
got enough fruit to balance. Nice...some power and finesse!
One-and-a-half stars."

3RD PLACE: NICOLAS POTEL 2000 NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES "
1er Cru Les Pruliers"
One taster found "deep, spicy nose and lots of Pinot character and lots of
stuff on the palate, if a bit piquant." Other descriptors offered included
"bacon," "chocolate cherries," "dark fruits with
a trace of tar" and "shellac on the finish."
Bob found a distinct "crme brle" thing going on (cream, vanilla,
caramelized sugar); a powerhouse of Pinot fruit develops as it opens. And such a
nice mouthful! It is a bit tight but it has that Nuits round/ripe character.
It's a bit flat on the finish."
Gerald detected "light cherry fruit with a faintly woodsy element on the
nose. It's a solid Nuits-St.-Georges wine with a bit of structure and some
aging potential. Cherryish flavors with a hint of wood. One star."

2ND PLACE: LEROY 2000 NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES
"Aux Lavieres"
The wine had many admirers. "Fantastic! beautifully perfumed Pinot,"
"and great balance!" "Loads of blackberry/blueberry fruit!"
But others were not so smitten. A curious herbaceous thing bothered one as
"grassy hay" and another as "crushed tomato stems." One
taster found it "soft with low acid and suspect structure." Another
thought "the oak was way over-done, producing an almost soapy
quality."
Bob found "ripe sweet Pinot cherries and the sweet oak jumping out of the
glass. It tastes as it smells: sweet cherries but with a balancing tartness.
Very Nuits!"
"What a nose!" Gerald wrote. "Sweet fruit and Oriental
spice notes enhance the berry and cherry fruit of the Pinot Noir. Very
fine on the nose. Equally stylish on the palate. Good fruit, lots of
vanillin notes and some coffee and berry tones, too. Two stars+."

1ST PLACE: MEO-CAMUZET 2000 NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES "1er Cru Aux Boudots"
One taster found it a "killer Nuits with notes of fraises du bois (wild
strawberry) on the nose and remarkable complexity in the mouth." Another
found notes of "bitter chocolate, espresso, and fermented black beans"
Incredulous, a couple of tasters went back to the glass to find "yes,
fermented black beans!" Another found it "rich and Port-like."
Someone agreed but found that "the Port thing detracts." "There's
an over-ripe, barnyard dimension (from Brettanomyces)."
Bob liked the "nice bit of Brettanomyces with plenty of ripe Pinot to keep
it in balance. There's a yin/yang of fruit and leather with the fruit definitely
the winner. The wine has a lovely, soft, silky texture! There are cola and roots
and yes a bit of leather. Delicious! Sure it's ripe and "fat" but
that's Nuits!
Gerald was less enthusiastic for this wine than most tasters.
"There's a mild note of forest floor fragrances, but I also get a whiff of
a dirty element such as H2S. There's
certainly some dark fruit notes of Pinot Noir along with some herbal elements
and a touch of a meaty note. On the palate, though, this is very typically
"chunky" Pinot Noir. It's less elegant or refined than some of
my favorites, but it does have some weight. One-half star."

Dennis Bell, listening to Led Zeppelin while
Tasting Nuits-St.-Georges.

Please note: The wines tasted are not always wines
we have (or have had) in the shop.
Many bottles are merely for our enological exploration.
Price quoted are current at the time of the tasting, but may be different
when you're reading this.

WE HAVE NOT ORGANIZED A TASTING IN A WHILE...
BUT WE DO POST THE RESULTS OF A PRIVATE TASTING GROUP THAT'S BEEN MEETING FOR
MORE THAN 40 YEARS!

We are working on
organizing some blind-tastings at the shop.
Send us a note to indicate your interest in participating.
These would be on Wednesday evenings and you'd need to bring 8 wine glasses.